Re: [Harp-L] Sax and Harmonica

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mar 9, 2012, at 11:20 AM, Greg Heumann wrote:

> The C Melody sax is not the mother - it was developed later in the game and there is almost no music written for them. This "system" however works across ALL woodwind instruments. I do't know who decided it should be so, but I am sure glad it is. When I see a "G" on the staff, I put the 3 fingers of my left hand down. This is true for any sax, flue, oboe, english horn, clarinet, recorder, bassoon.... That allows players to switch instruments easily. If the instrument is in C, then the note "sounds" a concert C. If it is not, it sounds something different. But because written music is transposed, all I have to know to produce the note the composer wanted, is that  if I see a "G" all I have to do is put those 3 fingers down. With that said, every instrument has some fingerings that aren't the same as other instruments. C's, F's and Bb's in particular - but B, A, G, E, Eb and D are more or less universal.
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> As a blues or improv player not reading from a score, one only needs to know what key to play in to be in the same key as everyone else. When a tune is called in G, I have to play my tenor sax (Bb instrument) in A. But I have to play my Baritone (an Eb instrument) in E.
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> /Greg
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About 35 years ago, I came up with a chart for chromatic harmonicas. Now you could go to a music store and get a simple chart for diatonics that showed second positions for all the diatonics and what 'terminal' key you would be in when using such and such harp for such and such keyed tune. But nothing existed for chromatics. 

So my chart was like a mileage chart. It had ALL the currently available keyed chromatics down the left side (starting with C at the top). Then across the top of the chart were ALL 12 keys (starting with C again), and that represented what keyed music you were following. Then in the 'field' were the actual terminal key that YOUR sound would BE. 

So all one would have to do is look at a chromatic (or ANY instrument) down the left column, go across the top to the key you were following. Cross the columns and the block at the junction was the actual key sounded. The chart has been in AHN, and I can't remember how many other publications, plus the harp-l archives, and slidemeister archives. 

Since I once played trumpet (Bb) before my fatal accident, and once played sax (Bb Tenor) before I sold it because I needed the money, and currently have 2 clarinets (Bb), almost ALL of my music is written in Bb. I usually learn a tune in it's original key and then play it from there by rote (memory-visualizing). Unfortunately I am an active gigging musician and singers WILL change keys on you. Sometimes even other players. Example, a sax player wanted Boogie on Ragae Woman in Gm. I play it in Abm. So instead of having to re-learn the entire tune ON the spot AND with no charts to refer to, I am not possibly going to fight that. I merely switch harps. 

I do NOT play chromatics IN their tuned key. I play them cross keyed. D, F, Eb, G.  For minors I use the equivalent signatures from the circle of fifths. Eb=3 flats=Fm/Fm = 3 flats=Eb. 

Greg is correct about saxes. The first model was the Bb Tenor. I have no idea why. Maybe because clarinets (at the time) were Bb, cornets (preceeded the trumpet) were Bb.  I don't know. When trombone came along..guess what?...Bb. 

smokey joe (the last of the cafes)
   
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